About The Village

The village of Combe Raleigh, is named after its geographical and historical features. The name “Combe” comes from the Old English word “cumb,” meaning a small valley or hollow, which is a common feature in Devon’s landscape. “Raleigh” is likely derived from the name of the Raleigh family, who were prominent landowners in the area during the medieval period. The combination of “Combe” and “Raleigh” thus refers to a valley or hollow (combe) associated with the Raleigh family.

The parish boundary of Combe Raleigh forms an arrowhead shape pointing into the heart of the Blackdown Hills National Landscape, of which it is a part. The southern boundary is formed by the River Otter and, from lush water meadows around 90 metres above sea level, the land rises steeply to a height of 266 metres on the plateau at its northern point. To the south lies Honiton and to the north Dunkeswell, with Awliscombe to the west and Luppitt to the east. The parish is almost entirely rural, with agriculture and horticulture predominating, surrounding a small, close-knit village community.

There are two bridges across the Otter, Langford Bridge and Clapper Lane Bridge; the latter being rebuilt in 1910. The remains of the old Clapper Bridge were washed away in the great flood of 10th July 1968. On the River Luv, the eastern boundary of the parish, there are the remains of an old mill, now the site of Jackson’s Nursery.

With no school, shop, pub or post office the village remains surprisingly vibrant with both Church and Village Hall well supported and actively involved in the life of the whole parish. It was well summed up by the Express and Echo in a 1959 article when it described Combe Raleigh as ‘a Fairyland Parish’. This description has only been surpassed by the villagers who decided to call their home ‘Paradise Cottage’.